Photography #TCDProjectChallenge Instructions:
1. Read through the Lesson Plan.
2. Complete the challenge.
3. Fill out the Lesson Worksheet (include circling your age level, Before and After Self
-Evaluation, Life Skills Learned, Leadership (if applicable), Evaluation, Citizenship,
Signature and Date).
4. Take a picture during some part of your Challenge.
5. Email your challenge picture and a picture of the front and back of your completed
Lesson Worksheet to [email protected] or text it to785-877-7262.
6. Challenge pictures will be posted (not the worksheet pictures) on our respective
county 4-H Facebook pages and our Twin Creeks District Facebook page.
7. Your name will be entered into a drawing for a project prize that will be given at
our 2020 Achievement Banquet next fall.
8. Each time you complete a challenge, your name will be entered into a drawing for
that project area.
9. You can complete any and all challenges, even if you are not enrolled in 4-H.
10. Challenges are divided into three age groups -- 7 to 9, 10 to 13, and 14 and up.
11. Pictures of your challenge and lesson worksheets are due by the last day
of the month, December 31, 2019.
12. Printed copies of the challenge can be picked up at your local Extension Office.
13. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions ([email protected] or
785-877-5755 or 785-877-7262). I am excited to see your pictures and what
you learn through these challenges.
#TCDProjectChallenge
Photography: Focusing on Light
Circle Your Age Level:
Age 7 to 9:
4-H Focus on Photography-1
Age 10 to 13:
4-H Controlling the Image-2
Age 14 & up:
4-H Mastering Photography-3
Time: Varies—30 Min.+
Goal:
Learn how to communicate
mood and feeling through
lighting in your photography.
Self-Evaluation BEFORE: Using
the rating scale below, answer
the following statements:
1 = not at all
2 = a little
3 = a lot.
I know how to…
Assess different lighting available to
me during shoot………….….1 - 2 - 3
Use lighting to control the mood in
my photography………..…...1 - 2 - 3
Materials Needed:
\ Camera or Camera Phone
All Attached Lessons
Optional:
Reflector
External Flash
Instructions:
All Youth: Read material and practice techniques from Kansas 4-H
the Kansas 4-H Lighting Lesson document (attached).
Ages 7-9: Read material on pages 18-19 and complete steps listed
under “Photo Shoot” section to practice using the
different types of lighting throughout the day.
Ages 10-13: Read material on pages 22-23 and complete steps
listed under “Photo Shoot” section to practice using
the different types of lighting throughout the day.
Ages 14+: Read material on pages 18-19 and complete steps listed
under “Photo Shoot” section to practice using the
light metering methods for your camera.
Tips & Tricks:
For an extra challenge and more practice, try the “More
Challenges” section within each 4-H Focus on Photography
lesson plan!
#TCDProjectChallenge
Resources:
4-H Photo Kids Series:
Level 1—Focus on Photography
Level 2—Controlling the Image
Level 3—Mastering Photography
Kansas 4-H Photography Leader
Notebook—Lighting Lesson
Evaluation:
Why is photography an important skill to have? __________________
_________________________________________________________
How can you use the skills that you learned in the future? _________
_________________________________________________________
What was the hardest part of the activity? ______________________
_________________________________________________________
Kansas State University is committed to making its services, activities and programs accessible to all participants. If you have special requirements due to a physical, vision,
or hearing disability, contact Twin Creeks Extension District, 785-877-5755.
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Patsy L. Maddy, 4-H Youth Development Agent
Jenilee Godsey, Youth Ag - Alyssa Rippe-May, Livestock/Horticulture
Keith VanSkike, Ag & Natural Resources - Karen Shepard, FCS
Stacy Brown, Director & FCS
Citizenship (community service examples of sharing what you learned.):
Share a favorite photo from this lesson with someone
Make Christmas card out of photo & share with nursing home residents
Share your 4-H related photo with our office to be used in advertising
Other ________________________________________________
_____________________________ __________________
Member’s Signature Date
Self-Evaluation AFTER: Using
the rating scale below, answer
the following statements:
1 = not at all
2 = a little
3 = a lot
I know how to…
Assess different lighting available to
me during shoot……………..1 - 2 - 3
Use lighting to control the mood in
my photography………..…...1 - 2 - 3
Leadership (teaching someone
what you have learned — Int./Sr.
levels.).
Taught lesson to other 4-Hers
Taught lesson to classmates
Other __________________
_____________________________
Photography: Focusing on Light
Life Skills Learned: (Check all that apply.)
Positive Self-Concept
Inquiring Mind
Concern for Community
Sound Decision-Making
Healthy Interpersonal
(Picture of your participation in the challenge.)
Kansas 4-H Photography Curriculum
Lighting – Photography, Level 1, Creating an Image
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
How the type of lighting affects the quality of the picture
How to compensate for the lighting that is available
Using fill-in flash to fill in shadows
Using a reflector to fill in shadows
New terminology about photographic lighting
ACTIVITY
Today’s lesson will explore light and ways we can use it to make good pictures.
Suppose you are camping beside a beautiful lake in the mountains. You brought with you your
camera. What else could you possibly need to make a fantastic photograph?
What if it is the middle of the night? Could we take a good picture at that time? What if fog has
blocked the view of the mountain? Sometimes weather conditions spoil the view of the subject we
want to photograph. Perhaps a thunderstorm has blocked the sun. There are many things about the
light striking the subject that we cannot control, but we can learn how to take pictures in a wide
range of lighting situations.
There are five main types of lighting that we will discuss. These include:
Frontlighting
Backlighting
Sidelighting
Toplighting
Diffused Lighting
Frontlighting is the most commonly used type of lighting. If we were outdoors taking a picture of
some friends in the sunshine at nine o’clock in the morning, we could pose our friends so they faced
the sun. The photographer would stand facing the subject (with his or her back to the sun) to take
the picture.
What facial expression do you expect our subject to make? Do you think frontlighting is good for
portraits? Why or why not?
Frontlighting is best for pictures of outdoor scenery and other objects that don’t squint! The
photographer must always be aware of the feelings of human subjects. Don’t make your subject
squint into the sun or sit on a hot rock for several minutes waiting for you to reload your camera with
film.
Here is an example of front lit photography:
Sidelighting occurs when the light strikes the subject from the side, so that half of the subject is
brightly lit, while the other half is in the shadows. Sidelighting shows the shape and texture of
objects, such as the shape of our subject’s nose and chin. This type of lighting is often used to show
the texture of objects, but it may not make the most flattering portraits of people.
With sidelighting, the harsh shadows will show up as very dark or black areas on the picture, so the
photographer will sometimes use a reflector to bounce light back into the shadowed area.
Here is an example of side lit photography:
Backlighting occurs when the light source is behind the subject. Early in the morning or late in the
afternoon, backlighting occurs when the subject faces away from the sun. The photographer, of
course, must face toward the sun to take the picture. Photographers often use backlighting to show
subjects as silhouettes. A silhouette is a picture in which the subject is an outline filled in with black
color. You have probably seen sunset pictures in which a building or tress is a black silhouette; that
is a good example of backlighting.
Portraits made with backlighting can show a halo effect produced by the light shining through the
subject’s hair.
Backlighting may make the subject’s face appear to be in the shadows, but this can be corrected by
reflecting light back onto the subject with our white reflector.
Another way to fill in the dark shadows produced by backlighting is to use the flash feature of your
camera. Even though we usually think of using flash only indoors, it also is very useful outdoors,
even on sunny days. The light from the flash can fill in the dark shadows on our subject’s face and
make a very nice portrait. We call this technique fill-in flash.
Here is an example of back lit photography:
Toplighting exists when the light source is directly above the subject. A good example would be
when the sun is directly overhead during the middle of the day.
As you would see in a top lit photo, the shadows under the nose and the dark areas around the eyes
look very harsh and unnatural. Toplighting is probably the least desirable choice for portraits. Also,
landscapes lack depth and interesting shadows during the middle of the day.
Here is an example of top lit photography:
Diffused lighting is what we have to work with on a cloud day. Many people think that the sun must
be brightly shining to get good photos, but some of the best pictures of people and other subjects
can be taken when the bright sunlight is softened or diffused by the clouds.
Another place to find diffused lighting is in the shade of a tree or building. This is sometimes called
open shade. In open shade the light from the sky and clouds is bright enough for good pictures, but
there will be no harsh shadows. Also, our subject will not need to squint!
Here are a couple examples of diffused lighting photography:
The information in this document was obtained from the Kansas 4-H Photography Leader Notebook,
pages 37-40. Lesson titled: Lighting – Photography, Level, 1, Creating an Image.